Sussex tariff offers ‘fair deal’ for energy bills

A new Sussex tariff for gas and electricity is looking to offer a ‘fair deal’ for households with a council-led partnership encouraging residents to switch and save money.

Your Energy Sussex, led by West Sussex County Council, is now offering competitively-priced energy directly through an arrangement with Robin Hood Energy, a licenced company owned and operated by Nottingham City Council.

Only one in four households compared energy costs and switched supplier in the past year, which means that more than 500,000 households in Sussex could be paying too much.

The new local energy tariff, which could save some people as much as £300 a year on average, is being promoted by 12 of 15 local authorities in Sussex, with Brighton and Hove City Council set to make a decision in March.

According to the partnership Your Energy Sussex is different to most energy suppliers because it is operated by councils who want people to pay less, is run on a not-for-profit basis where profits are used to help residents struggling to pay their bills, and aims to ensure prices are always competitive and customers are on the cheapest tariff.

Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We want to help people across Sussex to get the best deal from the energy market by comparing costs regularly and switching suppliers to get the best deal.

“Your Energy Sussex is different to other energy companies. It will give residents good customer service and a fair deal on their gas and electricity year after year while helping to support residents at risk of fuel poverty.”

Nick Bennett, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, added: “We’re delighted to be working with our partners to support a local initiative that will not only help our residents to save money on their energy bills but will also support ways to tackle fuel poverty.”

The new tariff is being promoted by councils in Arun, Horsham, Mid Sussex, Chichester, Crawley, Hastings, Adur & Worthing, and Lewes & Eastbourne.

Your Energy Sussex is also working with Robin Hood Energy to provide Sussex-produced green energy from West Sussex County Council solar panels directly to customers through the launch of a green energy tariff later this year.

The partnership has already delivered solar farms, solar PV installations on schools and other buildings, and low-energy lighting upgrades.

YES also uses local companies to deliver its energy efficiency and renewable energy work.